Wire bending and clenching tool



April 25, 1939. w MEDVED 2,156,187

IRE BENDING AND CLENCHING TOOL Filed Dec. 15. 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor JiZZZma a .Zlbdaea? By M I;

@W fim Afforneg/s April 25, 1939. w MEDVED 2,156,187

WIRE BENDING AND CLENCHING TOOL Filed Dec. 15, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Attorneys April 25, 1939.

w. MEDVED 2,156,187

WIRE BENDING AND CLENCHING. TOOL Filed Dec. 15, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Na 1 M Y 1 x i E6 gm (I *5 g 1K *3 Inventor J'tzfilz'amfidzxad By Mug-8 0m;

Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims This invention relates to a novel hand tool expressly made to expedite handling, bending and clenching of bendable wire, whereby to facilitate wrapping the wire around a rubber hose or the like and thereafter tightly adjoining the connectable ends of the wire.

Briefly, the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a longitudinally elongated tubular body serving as a handle and receiving sheath for a projectible and retractable rack bar, there being a toothed lever pivotally mounted on the handle to operate the rack bar, and means for holding in position the free ends of the wire to facilitate bending and clenching thereof.

It is a feature of the invention to provides. simple sheath forming handle to accommodate the slidably mounted rack bar, the latter part constituting a projectible and retractable plunger and having its end portion fashioned to abut a predetermined portion of the wire to facilitate the bonding and bending connection of the free end portions of the wire.

A further feature of the invention has to'do with a pivot-ally mounted spring pressed detent or cam element designed and mounted for coaction with the free end portions of the wire, and operated by the rack bar whereby to effectively and temporarily anchor said ends in the tool during the bending and tying operation.

Other features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the complete tool as constructed in accordance with my ideas showing the manner in which the tool is used to wrap and tie the wire around a hose or the like for repair work.

Figure 2 is an elevational view showing wire as it is wrapped in place with the free ends clenched and clipped off.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the U-shaped wire utilized to accomplish the results disclosed in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view showing the initial step in passing the free ends of the wire through the bight portion to provide the double strand collar to embrace the hose.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the arrangement depicted in Figure 1 with the rack bar or plunger rod retracted.

Figure 6 is a plan view of Figure 1 showing the lever in the position occupied when the rack bar is retracted.

Figure I is a perspective view of the rack bar.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 1 with portions broken away and shown in section and disclosing a slight modification in the cam construction.

Figure 9 is a top plan View of the arrangement disclosed 'in'Figure 1 showing only the left hand end portion thereof.

Figure 10 is an end view, which may be said to be a view observing Figure 6 in a direction from left to right but showing the style of the cam or latch represented in Figure 8.

Figure 11 is a cross section taken approximately on the plane of the line I l--| I of Figure 8.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals it is desirable at the outset to discuss briefly the wire, in order to better understand the nature of the tool employed for wrapping and bending it. In the drawings I have shown the wire used for repair purposes, for example, in repairing a bursted hose or connecting together two lengths of hose, and hence the hose is denoted by the numeral [2. I take a length of wire of appropriate length and guage. This is denoted by the numeral l3 in Figure 3, from which it will be observed that the wire is bent upon itself or between its ends as at M to provide a substantially U-shaped double strand collar to surround the hose or other object. The free ends of the wire, disposed in parallelism are distinguished by the numeral I5. The wire is wrapped around the hose to form a bracing ring I6 and the free ends are passed through and beyond the connective or bight portion M. This is brought out in Figure 4. Assuming then, that the wire is thus initially wrapped around the hose with the free ends projecting beyond the bight, the tool hereinafter described may be then employed to tighten the wire and bend the ends, after which the surplus portions may be clipped off as denoted in Figure 2 of the drawings.

The tool for accomplishing this comprises a tubular body. One end portion forms a suitable handle H. The opposite end portion, as disclosed to advantage in Figure 5, forms a sheath l8 as well as an adapter guide for the plunger rod is. The left hand or open end of the sheath is provided with depending flanges 20 to accommodate the segmental latch forming block or cam 2|. This part is pivoted between its ends as at 22, being suspended in the ears and normally pressed into inoperative position by a suitable flat spring 23. This member 2| is provided on its rear end with a pair of upstanding jaw parts 2| for holding the legs l5 of the wire between themselves and the upper portion of the sheath l8 and said member 2| is rocked on its pivot by the rack bar l9 and said bar is projected. Similar ears 24 on the intermediate upper side of the body serve to accommodate a pivot pin 25 which secures in place the operating lever 26. The pivoted end of the lever is formed into a toothed head or pinion 21 cooperable with the rack teeth 28 on the rack bar. The outer end of the bar, which is projectible and retractable, is fashioned to form a curved shoulder 29 for engaging the front end of the member 2|, when the bar I9 is projected which causes the member 2| to swing on its pivot.

to cause the jaw members 2| to move upwardly and straddle the bar [9 and grip the legs l of the wire as before stated. The outer end of the bar I9 is also provided with a notch 30 which is of such size and arrangement as to bear against and provide a seat for the bight portion M of the wire to be tightened. Obviously, the rack bar is slid in and out by rocking the pivoted actuating lever 26 from the position seen, in Figure 5 tothe position seen in Figure 1.

A slight modification is seen in Figure 8 wherein it will be observed that the bore-portion of the handle into which the wire ends I5 are slipped is provided with anti-slipping teeth 3|. These coact with companion anti-slipping teeth on the jaw portions 32 of the special retaining latch 32. The latch teeth are differentiated by the numeral 33. Thus the free ends 15 of the wire are slipped in between the respective sets of teeth 3l and 33 where they are firmly held in place.

In operation, and assuming that the U-shaped wire l3 has been initially bent around a hose or other article so that the ends l5 project beyond the bight portion M, the tool is ready for. use.

With the plunger or rack bar retracted the free ends l5 are slipped into the bore or sheath as disclosed in Figure 9. Then the handle 26 is swung toward the right in Figure 5 to project the rack bar and on the first part of this projecting movement the front end of the rack bar engages the front end of the member 2|, or the member 32 so as to swing the member 32 on its pivot and cause the jaws 2| or 32 to grip the wire ends I5. The notched end of the rack bar is placed against the bight M of the wire as the handle 26 is being swung to the right which causes relative movement between the rack bar and the body I! which results in stretching of the limbs or legs l5 of the wire. The pressure exerted against the bight portion and the'pull exerted on the free ends of the wire obviously hold the bight while the free ends are pulled, so to speak, to

circumferentially tighten the complete wire unit around the hose. After the respective ends of the embracing wire are thus tightened together, the tool can be bodily swung to bend the free ends laterally with respect to the bight, when a suitable clipper or tool (not shown) may be brought into play to clip oif the surplus wire producing the result disclosed in Figure 2 of the drawings. This simple method of simultaneously exerting a pull on one end portion of the wire. and a thrust on the other end obviously produces a tight wrapping in preparation for the final twist or clenching as is evident from Figure 2 of the drawings.

It is thought that the description taken in connection with the drawings will enable a clear understanding of the invention to be had. There- 'fore, a more lengthy description is thought unnecessary.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that minor changes coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to if desired.

I claim:

1. In a tool of the class described, a body having a passage therethrough, a rack bar slidably arranged in the passage, a handle member, means for retracting and projecting the rack bar by movement of said handle member, a member provided with jaws, and pivoted to an end portion of the body and having a part engaged by the rack bar when the same is projected to swing the jaws against a part of the body to grip a member between the jaws and a part of the body.

2. In a device of the class described, an elongated body having a passage therethrough and an opening in the under part of its front end, ears extending from said front end at the opening, a holding member pivoted intermediate its ends. between said ears, jaws connected with the rear end of said member and extending upwardly, a rack bar slidably arranged in the passage, a handle pivoted to the body and having a toothed head passing through an opening in the body with the teeth of the headengaging the teeth of the. rack bar, the front end of the rackbar having a shoulder for engaging the front end of the holding member, when the rack bar is projected for swinging said holding member on its pivot. andto cause the jaws to straddle the rack bar and clamp an object placed in the front end of the body between themselves and a part of the body, spring means for normally holding the holding member in inoperated position and the front end of the rack bar having a notch therein.

WILLIAM MEDVED. 

